The Natures Details website has undergone a bit of 're-vamp'. There is news of workshops and courses for 2014, a new 'tutorials' page and a few new picture uploads to the 'sketches' gallery. Enjoy and a Happy New Year to everyone !

Sunday, 29 December 2013

Over time an artist can accumulate spare frames and they are often left in a corner of the studio gathering dust.

On the other hand several artists I know always paint to a set size, and therefore they can re-use the frames more readily and buy ready made frames in a standard size. There is nothing at all wrong with this, but it is something I struggle with.

I like to have the freedom when painting a subject, knowing that I have more than enough space to use on the watercolour paper. Of course, I plan my compositions, but not knowing the mount and/or frame size beforehand gives me this freedom and some flexibility too.

What happens is that if a painting does not sell, I am left with frames of a variety of sizes.

I have decided to be more pro-active and over the last week or so I have started to re-vamp some of the oak frames that I have, and several of them will be used to frame forthcoming paintings.

I have always liked the oak frame and the majority of my artwork is framed using this. I consider the colour a warm but neutral tone that generally compliments the natural subject matter in the paintings. I therefore didn't want to venture too far from this.

The decision was made and I am using a liming wax made by Liberon. This wax gives an almost bleached effect to the wood grain.

Step 1: was to lightly sand the frame surface using an extra fine grain sanding pad. This is not meant to be a heavy sanding, but more to remove any coating, grease or dirt.

Step 2: apply the liming wax using a lint free cloth, rubbing the wax into the grain. Leave for 3-5 minutes.

Step 3: wipe off the white haze or coating. To protect the frame further a neutral coloured wax can be applied and then polished. Alternatively, if a more durable and water resistant finish is required, finishing oil can be applied. This is put on the frame using a lint free cloth, left to dry and then buffed. I will be using the latter approach once the finishing oil arrives from the suppliers.

Here you can see the final result prior to applying the finishing oil. I have placed the frames next to our oak dresser so you can see the difference in tone.

Tuesday, 17 December 2013

The illustration that I talked about in my last post is finally finished. I have really enjoyed the challenge of completing this commission for BCN Wildlife Trust and Grafham Water Nature Reserve.

Having never created such a detailed illustration before, especially with the variety of species requested, I was somewhat apprehensive. My previous ecological experience and knowledge was of real benefit and I do get a great deal of satisfaction when I can combine my two greatest passions - art and the natural world.

The habitats within the illustration had to follow a particular order, and one thing I wanted to ensure from the start was that the balance was ok. By this I mean, the composition - I wanted the circle to be broken up in places at the edge; and also importantly, the colour balance. As an example, the autumn leaves and berries of the Dogwood on the left were one of the last parts to be painted. In my reference for these, the leaves were still green but just starting to change colour. I was aware of the colour of the Red-veined Darter (dragonfly) on the right and I wanted to balance this colour on the opposite side of the circle. Therefore I took the decision to paint the Dogwood leaves in their full autumnal colour, using another reference.

As for colour, I wanted there to be some vibrancy to the illustration, but still to keep the colours of the habitats and species as realistic as possible. I started using watercolours, painting the ancient woodland segment first. It soon became clear that a depth of colour boost was needed, so I turned to the Dr Martin Radiant Concentrated Watercolours. These worked, applied carefully diluted in places, or alternatively mixed with traditional watercolour washes on my palette. The one disadvantage to using these is that they are not lightfast and are fugitive. On the positive note if work does not have to be framed and is produced solely for illustration purposes and to be converted into electronic format, they do the job well.

As the painting continued, I found that I was using gouache (opaque watercolour) more and more. I use Schminke gouache, which has a lovely silky quality to it and does not crumble as it dries on the palette. I can fill empty pans, leave them to dry and just re-wet them again. I haven't found this to happen with other makes of gouache so much. The gouache gave me the depth of colour without too much effort and a major advantage is that tiny mistakes can be hidden, due to its opaqueness and the ability to work from dark to light when applying washes.

Enough chatting now ! The following images are of each individual habitat and the species within, with a short description of what you can see in the picture.﻿﻿

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Ancient Woodland - consisting of veteran trees and an area that has been woodland for over 400 years. Species: Tawny Owl, Bracket fungi, Early purple orchid, Bluebell, Plums and custard fungi, Lesser celandine, Wood Anemone, Primrose and Daubenton's bat.

Plantation Woodland - a mixture of 40 and 60 year old plantation, consisting of a patchwork of native and non-native trees with open rides and glades. Species: Dogwood, Sycamore, Wild Service Tree, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Oak, Speckled Wood butterfly.

Fieldfare and Blackcap

Layered Scrub - this refers to the variety of density and age structures across the site at Grafham Water. Different birds require different types of scrub. Species: Fieldfare, Blackcap, Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Dog rose (flowers and hips), Bramble and Small Tortoiseshell overlapping into grassland.

Reedbed and Bird Hide - raised above the reedbed, the bird hide gives wonderful views across the western side of the reservoir. Along the shoreline of the reservoir the reedbeds buffer against the erosive force of the reservoir, whilst also providing valuable nesting sites. Species: Red-veined darter dragonfly, Goat willow, leaves and catkins, Heron, Reed warbler.

Reservoir / open water - In winter, you can look out for vast mixed flocks of wildfowl. Species: Tufted duck, Great crested Grebe, Coot, Wigeon (male and female).

Nightingale - At Grafham Water Nature Reserve, the dense scrub blocks provide perfect nesting habitat for the illusive Nightingale, with its beautiful song. Now on the decline in Great Britain, Nightingales are highly locally distributed with much of the remaining population restricted to the south-east and East Anglia. In order to promote population stability at Grafham and attract more Nightingales to the site, scrub blocks are managed to promote the thick, impenetrable vegetation much loved by these birds.

If you would like to find out more about Grafham Water Nature Reserve, you can follow the links below:

Hampshire Courses in the South Downs National Park

ONLINE TUITION

Natures Details Brush Set

Discover & Learn with Natures Details

Student's work - Painting on Vellum

Student's work - The Seashore Palette

Sketching the Beauty of Owls

Student's work - Illustrating Butterflies & Moths

Robin's egg on vellum

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